Hudson: Rising salaries place onus on ICT candidates to prove abilities

ICT professionals are facing a resilient market for their services in 2012, but have to do more to convince employers of their potential as organisations try to manage rising wage bills, according to a Hudson survey of salaries. The company's ICT Salary and Employment Insights 2011 report surveyed 935 employers and 1398 employees across A/NZ.

It showed that the employment market has remained strong for ICT professionals, with salaries rising as organisations compete to employ the best performers in the industry.

Fifty-two per cent of employees were awarded salary increases in 2011. More than 27 per cent received a 10 per cent or higher salary increase, according to the survey.

About two-thirds (67 per cent) of employers admitted to being under pressure to do more to secure the best employees.

Existing employees are willing to test the market unless their salary expectations are met; 61 per cent believe they deserve a pay rise and are considering changing jobs this year; and a salary increase was cited as the biggest factor (39 per cent) that would convince them to stay.

It also showed that the shortage of skills has resulted in a competition for talented candidates: 48 per cent of hiring managers said it was harder to secure the right candidates in 2011, particularly for senior strategic and managerial roles.

Hudson ICT national practice director, Martin Retschko, said, “There is significant demand for ICT recruits, but employers are more conservative in assessing candidates to ensure they’re getting a return from their investment. Candidates have to do more to demonstrate their abilities.”

The report indicated that candidates with additional communication, high-level corporate and commercial skills are in high demand. Along with that, it stated that expertise in Cloud computing is likely to be rewarded with premium salary increases of between 25 to 45 per cent.

It also showed that organisations that select cheaper candidates have reported that it can sometimes be more costly – 44 per cent of hires were described as “not good”. They now focus more on maximising the return from each dollar invested in human capital.

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